In case you have not noticed from the multiple TV ads, for a few years now IBM has been positioning itself as a Big Data company, with its Watson platform and cloud-based services. One of them is the Alchemy Language API, which packs together functions for text analysis and information retrieval. As part of learning how to handle this API from R, I tried it on a news story about a sci-fi book publishing business. Overall, the results were strong, although not without some amusing quirks…
Why Are Textbooks So Expensive?
As Drop/Add week comes to an end, students are finishing up one of the most dreaded activities of the semester: Acquiring textbooks. Whether you have already purchased all your textbooks or are heading to Broad Street to pick up the final ones, you will all end the week having dealt with one of the worst cases of sticker shock possible. Because while the mile-long line is annoying, nothing is more horrifying than seeing your purchase total turn to a three-digit number for the nine textbooks your English class requires. Of course, there are cheaper options: you can buy used or rent new/used copies, borrow, lend, sellback after buying, have parents pay, pay part, pay full. But sellback can be difficult and asking parents difficult to navigate, especially if the money situation is tight. And with the prices sitting at a cringe-worthy level no matter what, paying for textbooks has become a serious concern for most college students.
Have you ever wondered why you’re textbooks are so expensive? Even normal books aren’t always cheap, but textbook prices have soared far above that level. There is some disparity in data, but on average it is reported that textbook prices have risen 800% in the last 30 years. And with choosing to not buy a textbook possibly hurting your grade, it poses questions about a rigged college system that favors those with money, even after you get past the golden gates. So what’s causing prices to be so high?
How does Netflix keep getting it right?
In 2013, Netflix came out with Orange is the New Black, one of the first original series to be debuted on an online streaming network. It was an immediate success, and ushered in years of Netflix continuously “getting it right”: House of Cards, Arrested Development, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, numerous Marvel shows, Sense8 – and, most recently, Stranger Things.
What’s fascinating is that there seems to be pattern of streaming video networks coming out with great original shows while cable TV shows are declining in quality and originality. When Stranger Things came out in early July of 2016, Netflix had another hit, and I heard many people saying in awe, “How does Netflix keep getting it right?”
It turns out there’s a secret to their success: Big Data.
Welcome back to campus!
We hope you’ve all had an okay time settling in for the 2016-2017 year. We’re excited you’re here, and for all the great things you can expect on DataCrunch this year. Stay tuned!
New Age Research in a New Age World: An Interview with the QAC’s Congressional Politics Research Lab
When seen through a news report or a computer screen, the impact of current political research can seem very disconnected from what’s really taking place. It can be hard to try to understand the results and implications of politician’s behaviors and opinions without an already-written history book. But with this new age of media presentation comes the new age digging tool of data analysis, which is once again proving to be the key to decoding to today’s political discourse.
And that’s not its only use. Once again, Wes students are proving it possible to not only use online politics for research purposes, but to get your foot in the door of Data in the Real World. In April, John Murchison ‘16, Grace Wong ‘18, and Joli Holmes ’17 attended the Midwest Political Science Association conference in Chicago to present a poster about their research on congressional politics.